Definition of water bear in English:

noun

Some of these we're quite familiar with, like squid, lobsters, corals, and jellyfish, but there's a whole universe of lesser-known invertebrates out there, like tardigrades or ‘water bears,’ chitons, and flatworms.

Hiking under the massive Sitka spruce, hemlocks, and Douglas firs on the Quinault Loop Trail, eight of us learned about water bears - microscopic moss-eating creatures that can hibernate as desiccated flakes for decades.

Strangely enough, water bears are at the same time among the most unknown and the most fascinating creatures on earth.